Remembering Applewatch
by KABren
Summary: We all know that Banus, Belisarius, Mathieu, and Arquen brutally killed Lucien- but how much about it do you know? What is revealed to Malkhai when Lucien returns  How is a whole other story so don't ask ;D  brings to light a grimmer tragedy.
1. Chapter 1

The new Listener was aware and appalled by the atrocious nature of Lucien's execution, but what she knew of it barely scratched the surface. Once it was explained in full detail by Lucien she was set to paint the Cheydinhal sanctuary with Altmer blood.

There the two reunited lovers stood in the halls of their lair. There he saw a familiar creature at the very end near the main entrance with her back turned to them. Arquen assumed she heard the footsteps of the new recruits buzzing around as they always did.

They were within a few feet of her when she finally turned around. She saw Malkhai's face first- she gave Lucien no heed because he was dressed in the standard purple-tinted assassin's uniform. She didn't know who he was, needless to say she had no suspicions. He was dead... there was no coming back from the dead. Right?

"Listener it hasn't been a week yet... y..."

"You didn't tell me everything, Arquen." Malkhai said with eerie calmness. "You didn't lie to me... but you covered up a dark truth... darker than the fact you like to eat your victims. I don't blame you, though. I don't blame you one bit for having no intention to talk to me about it. Someone, however, did come forward with this missing detail of Applewatch.

You think it died with the other four?

Well it did. But in this world, Arquen... provided that one has the needed ambition... some people don't stay dead forever."

Lucien pulled the shadow-casting hood away to reveal his identity. It was not ( ), as Arquen assumed.

"Nuuh...n...nuuuhoo how... h'h'hoooow!" A true terror struck the very core of her being. The instant that she saw him, setting fire to her soul through his rigid glare, a wave of panick shortened her breath and brought tears to her eyes.

"Not exactly happy to see me... are you, Arquen? Why not?" He sarcastically asked.

"How? How is it that you are alive!" She didn't know how to react because she couldn't understand why he stood before her- alive and well. Alive after seeing his body reduced to an unrecognizable meaty mess.

"Answering questions with questions... not how it works.

I know why. I carried with me those memories into the afterlife.

I... know...why..."

And when he saw her face again after his return to the mortal plane... the memory was ever more vivid and disturbing.

_"Banus, Mathieu, Belisarius...leave us for a moment."_

_ "Why, Arquen? Why should you get to have all the bloody fun?" Banus whined.  
_

_ "I won't. I will call you back in after I to speak to him alone for a few minutes. Just give me a while...think you can do that?"_

_An evil smirk stretched across Banus's face, reading the message in Arquen's vile eyes. "Oh...heh... I think I get it. Well, I don't care what you do... as long as he suffers through it." _

_"Wrrrrt... Whhrrr...r.!" Lucien tried to scream, but the gag muffled his words. When the other four Speakers ambushed and placed binds on him he prepared himself for all the possible ways that they would make hims suffer. But until that moment he didn't count on one thing that dawned on him when he saw the wickedly lustful look on Arquen's face._

_ The three Speakers left the house... left the bound Imperial alone with the Altmer, whose mind had a bubbling stew of unspeakable appetites._

_"Did you ever think ahead, LaChance? Did you picture this in your future when you slipped those little love letters into their assigned place for your Silencer? The notes that ordered her to kill our bretheren?"_

_ "Uuuue...Uuuuddrrhd-norrrt! Grrrrt drrss rrrrf've mmrrrr!" _

_ "Shut up!" Arquen shrilled as one open hand struck his cheek. "I heard it already. There is nothing you can say to get yourself out of this. We know it was you! You were nothing but a bear hunter that was oooooh-so-saaaaad about his little brat getting skewered like shish kabob! I am the one that made you Speaker, Lucien! It is I who brought you to the sacred darkness. We are the genuine, devout, spirit-bound children of our Dread Father! You're just a boy in shroud trying his best to be! You are the traitor because someone like you never measured up to his real servants. Someone like you always breaks after a while and returns to the world of the Nine... always..." _

_ "RRrrghhh...Rrrrqrrn... prrreesse. Uuuuii mmm nrrrt d trrrrtrrr!"_

_ Instead of striking him again she narrowed her eyes and turned up her nostrils, giving another look that made him sick all over. _

_ "First things first... before you die, Lucien... you will loose your place as Speaker. So you won't be needing THIS anymore." Arquen glided down to her knees as she placed her hands on his chest, giving his body a snakey glance-over before peeling his garments off with unexpected care. "We don't have a sweatshop full of children to make us thousands of these so we need to spare as many as we can!_

_ Malkhai, despite the stupidly blind faith she placed in you, seems more fit to be a Speaker... she will need this."_

_ "Rrrgh...grrrd...nuuuhoo!" Lucien writhed; his exposure brought a horrid crawling sensation all over his body. _

_ "What do you think she'll say when she finds out about you, hmm? Oh what would she think of you then...I doubt she would love you anymore... I'd wager that she'll even hate me- not for killing you, but for not letting her be a part of your execution. She was betrayed by you too, you see... and what..."_

_ Arquen paused when her eyes returned to his body from the garments she tossed aside. A slimy expression formed on her face._

_ "Hmmf... well... no doubt that this is a quality she loves about you." _

_ He tried to tuck his lower body away from sight, snarling through his brown eyes alive with a burning fury._

_ With a clear expression of hate and sadness she grabbed him by the hair, shaking his head evey time the volume in her voice elevated. "Why not me, Lucien? I gave you so much! I brought you here in the first place- gave you all the comforts you needed to bring yourself back to sanity! I loved you! I loved you, Lucien! I'm sure you knew that! But never once... ever... did you give me a chance to prove it to you! Is it because you know I am older? Is it because I find human flesh a delicacy! Is it because your male ego is threatened by my height- what? What is it?"_

_Lucien flinched without a sound, adamant about keeping his eyes off of her. But that only fanned the flames of her wrath._

_"Look at me!" She rumbled, tightening her grip on his hair, which was coming undone in her fists as she forced his head forward. "You look... at me, Lucien! You missed out... you missed out so much. What ever she did to make you feel good... feel like a man should I... I could've done ten times better. I... could've... .I..."_

_Arquen paused to catch her breath, releasing him from her grasp as she folded her hands together over her chest. _

_ "You hurt me... it hurt so much when I heard Levik casually talk about it... but like the tough bitch I am I took it... I stuffed the hurt somewhere in a dark box and forgot about it... at least for a while."_

_'You lust and that is it. You don't have the soul that is required to harbor such feelings as love'. Lucien thought. 'On the contrary, you can't give half of what Malkhai can.' _

_"Between you and me, LaChance...evidence or not... I want to kill you for all that pain you caused me!"_

_ Arquen saw the tears streaming down his cheek. She caught them with her dagger before they dripped from his chin. She ran her slimey tongue over the blade... and then did the same to the side of his face. _

_ "GGRrrrrarrghhHh!" Lucien wriggled._

_"But not right away." _


	2. Chapter 2

_ "Alright... come back inside. I am finished." She laughed, wiping bits of flesh from the corners of her mouth and licking her fingers. From collar on down the front of her robe was soaked in blood. _

_ "What...what the hell did you do?" Even the other three Speakers, just as eager to satisfy their thirst for bloodshed, were momentarily taken aback. _

_ "You'll see."_

_ When the other three walked in, the first thing they noticed was strewn pieces of skin and blood that trailed all the way over to the middle of the house. Then, they fully beheld the damage done to his body, which was limp in the restraints. The pain he endured was enough to cause involuntarily writhing, but not for long. He was loosing consciousness from the massive blood loss._

_ "Arquen what is wrong with you?" Banus hollered. _

_ " ...what? You said..."_

_ "He's quickly loosing a lot of blood... he'll be dead before we do much more to him! And even if he's still alive when we do this he won't be aware of it happening; what joy is there in that?"_

_ "Well stop talking and get to work already!" _

_ At the time the slaughter ensued, with the four of them taking turns tearing and hacking at their innocent brother, Malkhai wasn't even halfway there. Shadowmere was the fastest and sturdiest horse in all of Tamriel, but not even she could take her rider all the way from Anvil to Applewatch within less than a day. _

_ "We should take his gag off!" Mathieu squealed. "Why muffle his words! I want to hear him scream, beg, and cry! I want it to rattle my eardrums!"_

_ As soon as he did, Lucien did most of what Mathieu anticipated. He did everything but beg. Not anymore._

_ "Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhh!" Blood that streamed out of his mouth sprayed as he roared at the ceiling._

_ Bound in spirit were the Speaker and his Silencer- by something one, mortal or immortal, could ever dare to touch. She didn't hear him call out his name, but without apparent cause her heart sank to the well of her stomach. Every time they induced excruciating pain in him, gravity had an even greater hold on Malkhai's soul. _

_Amid the ocean of maniacle laughter and spurts of crimson, LaChance refused yet to beg for his life. Even if they did stop he would eventually bleed to death._

_ "Maa..."_

_ "What is it Lucien? What is it, dearest brother? Are you going to at least confess before Sithis takes your soul?" Arquen bent down and grabbed him by what was left of his hair._

_ "I...mm not... th'traitor." He coughed, choking on his own blood. _

_ "Liaaaaaaar!" She screamed, almost scalping him when she swung her hand back._

_ Banus saw that he was nearing death, so he nodded to Mathieu, whom caught his gesture and stepped forward as the other two backed away._

_A weak smile formed on Lucien's face. He knew what was coming. He watched through the slit of one eye as Mathieu stopped in front to him. He welcomed it after the intense hour of agony. _

_ But before the Breton struck him, he knelt down and brought his lips very close to where an ear used to be._

_"Brother." He whispered. "Dear brother... it was only a matter of time... before mommie had her revenge."_

_ Mathieu's revelation triggered one last boost of energy in Lucien. His eyes popped wide open and bored deep into Mathieu's. The last bit of energy was spent on a furious outcry._

_" Sleep sweet, dear brother... sleep sweet." Were the real traitor's last words to him._

_ "-ghhhhh!" _

_ And as quickly as Mathieu's blade plunged into Lucien's chest... the life in him was gone._

"And now we both know why, Arquen." Malkhai growled through clenched teeth. A faint red glow appeared in her eyes as she stared her down. "But what we don't know... is what we should do with you!"

Arquen hunched over as she backed away submissively. Her arms folded over her stomach as an acidic nausea crawled into it. "I don't deserve your forgiveness... but I ask for it... my Listener... my... my brother..."

Malkhai struck Arquen across the face with her hand, which wore a steel-plated leather glove. How dare she call LaChance a brother- she humiliated and murdered him with a vile passion! No sister could do that, not even if the family ties were merely created by guild association. "You are no longer Speaker, Arquen... because you have been expelled from the Dark Brotherhood. Now that Lucien is back you have no purpose here."

Arquen staggered onto her knees as she clutched the wounded side of her face. She knew they were going to kill her, there was no question of that.

"You know I've wanted this moment for a long time- I anticipated the permission from Mother to strike you down... but this moment does not belong to me... I want justice for what happened, but since it is not my justice... I'm giving it to him. Go on, Lu."

Lucien nodded back before stepping forward, drawing his short-sword as he approached Arquen, who clumsily stumbled onto her rear end as she backed herself into a corner.

"Y...you... I don't know how this happened but... I'm sure it's your doing, Malkhai!" Arquen roared, realizing that she could not beg her way out of the situation, and once her back hit the wall her defensive mode kicked in. "You weak little _bitch_! You just can't live without your precious little _boy-toy_!"

"_Yes I can!_" Malkhai growled back, grabbing the handle of her sword and flooding the area with the red glow from her eyes. "I _can_ live without him! I _can_ live without the Cheydinhal Family! But I _refuse _to!"

Arquen lost what ever composure she had left, snarling and screaming as she wriggled in place. She was a beast again.

"NAaaaghh! Naahahahahahaaaa..."

She drew the sword and barreled towards Lucien, snarling as stupefying anger surged into her right arm as she swung at him.

The rest of the sanctuary watched them duel from a safe distance- they wanted to leap to Lucien's side and fight with him... but it was his fight and his alone. They had to respect that.

_Clank. Clank. Woosh. Clank clank. Woosh_

Every time their swords collided, the piercing sound it made echoed throughout the corridors and assaulted ears. As Lucien's wife watched, a lumpy anxiety wormed into her throat.

"Such a shame your second life will be shorter than your first!" Arquen spewed at Lucien.

"You seem a little too... sure of yourself... Altmer." Lucien replied with reverence, disengaging from all emotions. "Remember that... this time I have a chance... to defend myself... and I fight against one... not four."

After several minutes of waltzing swords, their wielders grew tired. Both got a nick, scratch, cut, and bruise from each other, but neither received fatal wounds.

"Getting tired?" Arquen panted with a slouched posture.

"No more than you." Lucien replied, controlling his breathing and keeping his back straight. "Your time as Speaker was spent mostly on your ass, Arquen. It shows."

The altmer spat at his feet with the very definition of murderous hate in her eyes- the same look he saw at Applewatch. If he was a less experienced fighter, that rush of unpleasant familiarity would've distracted him. But LaChance's solid experience as a warrior did not end the day he fought less and spoke more. That is what gave him the edge over the other Speakers... and they knew it. Why else would they band together to ambush him instead of send out one assassin to execute him?

Remembering what Arquen's profession was before she was a member of the Black Hand triggered a barrel of laughter that fluttered out of Lucien's throat. "Maybe it's better then spending most of the time on your back."

"Shut up! Shut.. UP! !"

The sly Speaker aroused a frenzy great enough to throw any planning and coordination in her attacks completely out of her mind. She lunged like a rabid troll, screaming as she swung her sword with mad haste and clawed at his face.

Though she did injure him it was not enough to even slow him down. At the right moment that her upper body was vulnerable to attack, Lucien delivered a kick to her chest that sent her body hurdling into the wall.

"C...chaahagh..." Arquen struggled to recover the wind that was knocked out of her. Her hands clawed at the floor, searching for the sword that she dropped on her way down.

It was gone.

"Whe...eeghaerr...is..."

"It's right here, Arquen." Lucien muttered. In his possession were two steel short swords in either hand.

Spectators leaned forward, awaiting his final lunge. It was Lucien's chance to finalize the battle with her execution. Malkhai especially was tickled by the anticipation, biting down on one thumb and taking in shallow breaths.

**_(This is where you come in, readers..._**

**_Die; justice must be served!_**

**_Exile; may she live the rest of her life in misery._**

**_The most popular choice wins)_**


	3. Chapter 3

Arquen, in a quiet surrender, allowed her head to fall back against the wall, waiting for him to plunge both swords into her chest.

_WOOOSH-THUUNKT._

He did not smile. He didn't even seem particularly thrilled about killing Arquen, but a considerable weight lifted from him as he watched her life gurgle out of her mouth. Did it change what happened? Did it erase the haunting experience at the farm house from his mind? Not at all. In fact, despite the immense gratification that enveloped him when the disease-minded altmer fell lifeless to the floor, there was also a sliver of sadness in his heart.

Arquen was right... she was the one that invited him into the Dark Brotherhood when he was nothing... when he lost everything that inspired him to continue living. She stopped him from slitting his own throat out of despair. Though he gave neither mind nor body to her, he still loved her. He looked up to her as a sister and a savior. But that was long before she began eating her victims, which was what poisoned her mind and drove her mad. Arquen, the part of her that counted, was already dead for many years.

The sanctuary was as dead-quiet as a graveyard. No random chit chatter; not even small whispers. This was supposed to be a time of celebration, welcoming their Sanctuary Father from the realm that few evade. That was due, but not at the moment.

A room was added to the sanctuary since Malkhai became Listener. When the Cheydinhal Family was revived and brought back to their home they thanked her by building her own personal quarters. As grateful as she was, she rarely used it. She spent most of the time in the renovated Abandoned House, which she christened "Clearwater Estate". That is where she and Lucien retreated while one of the new recruits volunteered to clean up the mess in the main hall.  
Lying atop the sheets, curled up into each other with vacant expressions plastered on their faces, they were mostly silent for the greater part of the hour that passed since Arquen's death. Malkhai waited so long for the moment when the center of all her hurt and anger was gone. It restored a calmness to her soul, flushing away all the spiritual muck that built up around it.

_It's probably too soon._ She thought, dabbing into intimate thoughts when Lucien triggered many alarms at once during their embrace. Neither moved, but it was enough for her to feel his breath on her neck, a mass on the other side of the bed, and an arm around her waist again. Such simple pleasures that couples take for granted on a daily basis were restoring life to an empty shell and making it Malkhai again. But she held back her impulses in fear that it was not the right time.

_After such an ordeal, I think it's wise to just stay still. When he's ready... when he's comfortable only he will know... I will let him make the mo-_  
The hand that held her waist made a slow migration to a lower region of her body. Lucien practically doused her neck with kisses and nibbles as hands explored places that were unfamiliar to touch for many months._ I suppose he is ready._ Malkhai thought, shivering from the waves and pulsations that his work inspired. After such teases carried on for a while, they engaged each other. As expected, from the living quarters of the sanctuary their duet could be heard. Some giggled, some groaned, some were heavy sleepers and heard nothing at all.

"Isn't it so nice to know they are happy again." Ocheeva chuckled, sharing a meal with her brother and a few new recruits.

"Um... sure." Roselli mumbled, with a clear redness forming on her face.  
Teneeva stuffed a block of cheese into his mouth, but didn't bother finish chewing before he replied. "It's fine that they're happy... but maybe their happiness should be a little more...quiet."  
"Oh come on, Ten. It's been more than a few months now. Can't you understand that?"  
"Yes but..." It was hard to ignore the repetitious outbursts- 'ahhs' , 'ooohs', a lot of 'yeses' and of course some vulgarities. "... it's rather distracting."

"If you don't mind I ask," Lieena butted in, "how is it that you are alive? I was told that the Listener had to perform a Purification."  
"Long story short," Ocheeva answered, "Malkhai used the Langorwine Blade on us, we were in a deep sleep until the real traitor was found, Malkhai revived afterward. That, of course, was not the Black Hand's actual plan if I remember right. I remember Arquen had this look of fury in her eyes when she saw us all alive, like she was ready to gut the Listener for not only deception but failure to carry out orders. But, as you know, Malkhai's new rank discouraged her from letting any such intentions stew in that head of hers. Haha- I also remember when Arquen confronted her about it she hinted with the weakest voice I ever heard coming out of that old pie hole." Ocheeva threw a gut full of laughter into the ceiling.

"And what about Lucien? I was told they hacked away until there was hardly anything left of him. Yet, surely he is ever so alive."  
"I have no idea. I assume necromancy was involved but not the usual kind. I'm willing to bet that it was not cakewalk for Malkhai. What ever spell she used or what ever deal she made had to come with a great cost or a great trial. It's not just animating a corpse- she restored mind, body, and spirit."  
"Should we ask?"  
"Probably not. What we should do is just... drink up, eat, and celebrate this great turn of events."

"Indeed!"

* * *

When stillness claimed the Listener's chamber again, and the weary couple caught their breath, random conversations rolled on for a while again. Nothing of great importance, just oddball nonsense until Lucien took the opportunity to bring up a a serious matter. It was a topic he wanted off his chest because it practically burned while it stayed there.

"Malkhai... there is something I must tell you... It's important and yet... I'm afraid of talking about it. This night is heavy enough without having another barrel of brain-bash hitting you but... it's important. I hesitate because I wonder what it'll mean for us if I... I don't want it to change how you feel about me." He said as he slowly heaved a sigh through his nostrils. Obviously he was apprehensive and wanted to choose his words carefully. That was not the kind of tone his wife liked hearing.

"Oh great..." She replied, rolling over to face him. A sickness lumped in her throat and an intense heat swelled around her eyes. Malkhai was preparing a long-winded lash that included everything she sacrificed and endured to pull him back into the land of the living. "Don't stutter... don't dance in circles... don't hint... you just tell me what the problem is."  
"I have returned to the mortal world with a certain...perspective on things. Understand that I have to be cautious about what I say because..." Lucien bit down on his lower lip.  
"Because what?"  
"We need to continue this conversation elsewhere."

While most brethren rested in the sanctuary, the LaChances slithered out from the well. Malkhai, shaken into a new confusion during a distressful night, still followed him without question through the doors of the chapel.  
"I forgot about how wonderful these places smell." Malkhai sighed, wafting in the scent of vanilla wax and sandalwood incense that lingered in the air. Late hour worshipers were preoccupied by their thoughts and heart whispers to the divine. They were aware of an added presence, but did not acknowledge them. Seen or not they wouldn't be suspected of being a assassins since they wore civilian clothing, but out of a mix of respect and caution they chose to stay in the shadowed corners and keep their voices down. "So, you were saying? Actually, first... tell me why we have to talk about it here."  
"Remember what you were told about Sithis and the Night Mother? 'All that we say... all that we think... all that we do- they know within their realm'. These chapels, among many sanctified territories, are outside their realm."  
"So... they have no idea... about anything we say, do, or think?"  
"They lost sight of us when we entered. They can only assume where we are now... and they can only assume what our business here is."  
"Is this where you're going to finally say what you have to say? I really hope so because just waiting for bad news is worse than actually get it... spill it out, Lu. What is wrong?"  
Lucien took a deep breath as he leaned in closer, hoping that he truly felt the same way he did. "Mal... you share my thoughts on all of this... don't you?"  
"All of what?"  
"The Dark Brotherhood... Sithis... The Night Mother. Everything."

"Well... I believe that there are betrayers yet alive... but it would seem impossible to punish them for it. Choosing silence allowed Mathieu to do what he did..."  
Lucien nodded. "We both reached that point, Malkhai, when we wonder 'What the hell are we doing here?' and then actually decided that enough is enough. I still enjoy the thrill of the hunt, but in all honesty the blood of innocents slain are beginning to weigh on me. I'm beginning to experience that gravity of guilt. Especially now... after what I experienced in the afterlife... I feel less inclined to return to the same route I was on. It will lead me to the same destination, which is not much like the way the Brotherhood described it."  
"I feel the same way... but what do you propose we do about it? Can we really just turn our backs on everything here? Are we going to dedicate ourselves to goat herding in some rural part of the empire and live among prudent monks?"  
"No... what I propose... is a slight change. I assume that you would be in agreement with it."  
"And what is that change?"  
"How did we both end up in the Brotherhood?"  
"Answering questions with questions..."

Lucien rolled his eyes.

"Sorry...oh... j...justice."  
He nodded. "We'll always be assassins... it is our calling in life, there is no turning away from it. However... I propose that we dedicate the Brotherhood, from this day forward, to the annihilation of criminal scum."  
"You're right, I agree with you wholeheartedly... but... our targets are given from the Night Mother. She tells us who we have to kill. There is no arguing with her or ignoring her orders. Unless... you actually intend to 'invoke the wrath of Sithis." The last sentence was brash and sarcastic.  
"Yes... as long as she exists there is no arguing."

The idea of radical movement stirred a fierce storm in Malkhai's gut. For years Lucien was nothing if not loyal to the Brotherhood. He was falsely accused of betrayal, and yet when he returned to the mortal plane his intentions were not so false anymore. But it was an understandable turn around- they who professed to be surrogate parents of the 'children' that were brought into their arms looked away as an innocent son was humiliated and slain. All that was needed was one warning from the Night Mother to the Listener- it could've prevented the domino effect of tragedies and swift justice would be brought to the betrayer's doorstep. Lucien wouldn't have been accused, hunted down, and gutted like a fish. It is said that even the most questionable lack of concern or aid from the spirits is all a part of a plan that would ensure greatness and prosperity in the long run. But the true picture was centering itself before Malkhai's as she reflected on what the Night Mother told her the day they first met- the day she truly believed she existed when they were face to face. She allowed Lucien to die... because she knew his heart was not as dark as he made everyone around him believe. She saw it as a weakness... a lack of faith and devotion... she believed that if he was not killed he would bring an unfavorable change to the guild she took over a millennium ago. Like the change he suggested that very night in the chapel.

"What should we do?" Malkhai asked with a nod.

(To be continued... of course)


End file.
